Sphere of Influence: 3D Politics and the Struggle for Absolute Power

Sphere of Influence: 3D Politics and the Struggle for Absolute Power

By: Marcus Perriello | Our Voice Contributor

Politics is a game of what is commonly referred to today as “Three-Dimensional Chess.” The object of this game is to win enough support from all over the political landscape and force the political opposition into submission, thereby paving the way to pass and implement into law the policy proposals at hand. In cases of Dictatorships, however, the power is absolute and resides with the figurehead of the political establishment. This practically eliminates the requirement for a government body comprised of individuals of different ideologies having to hash out the details of a given legislative measure. That measure, and the decision to implement it, would be made unilaterally by the head of state. Yet even in a global political environment, Authoritarian heads of state must still be adept at navigating the multi-dimensional board that makes up the game of Politics if they are to govern effectively. The sad truth is that when it comes to Authoritarian regimes and figureheads, the entire endgame is about obtaining absolute power and maintaining that sphere of influence through any and all means at their disposal. This is to ensure their power and the vessel that carries it is kept safe from potential deterioration and inevitable collapse.

When it comes to democratic systems of government there is a consistent struggle from within. A struggle that continuously changes the balance of power, leaving the future evermore in doubt as to what the next shift in power will bring about. The idea of self-governance is predicated on how well-informed and educated such a society is. As the saying goes, “Ignorant societies produce ignorant leaders.” Such is the case in the world today with the likes of Right-Wing Fascists and quasi-fascists appearing in democratic countries across the world. Victor Orbon in Hungary. Jiar Bolsinaro in Brazil. Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Xi Xinping in China. And of course, Donald Trump in the United States. China’s abolition of term limits not withstanding, if one follows the pattern of history when these types of Right-leaning would-be dictators start to emerge, they begin to see a very clear pattern of geopolitical events that coincide with the sort of “reactionary” political shift in a given country at any given time.

The most obvious example is the Global Economy

Whenever a country begins to lose its prospects for the future with regards to its economic goals, one of the reactions from its citizenry is to flee to wherever there is more opportunity available. By the same token, there are those in that citizenry who would rather stay and work to correct the situation, either through a diplomatic process, a violent revolution, or combined approach. Most people would prefer the former, but as President John Kennedy once said, “Those who make the peaceful revolution impossible make the violent revolution inevitable.”

In the case of the United States, where corporations have been outsourcing and automating jobs for decades, there has been a gradual incursion into the realm of Politics from those in the world of Business who have captured enough power and influence to customize national legislation in favor of that which makes them rich. This is a mild form of Fascism, even though it’s not Fascism as most people typically think of it. However, it is a form of Fascism that if not addressed properly, leads to an even more brutal and oppressive form as the society subjected to it begins to fight back. Economic dominance, combined with military might, has set the United States on a collision course with something most thought was not even possible in its borders: Authoritarianism and the prospect of a brutal Dictatorship.

One of the main reasons for the United States moving farther and farther to the Right is lingering ignorance and fear of the concept of Socialism, about which the American public has been largely force fed misconceptions dating back to the onset of the Cold War. The irony is that everything the United States accuses other “Socialist” countries of, the United States is equally guilty, despite having a Capitalist economic infrastructure. The entire undertaking of combating what Cold-War-era operatives called “Godless Communism” involved not only a battle of ideas from opposite sides of the world, but a battle of misinformation from those in power. The Cold War represented, in economic terms, a failure on both sides to realize the nuances of economics, along with a misguided notion of the necessity for geopolitical and global economic dominance. The Cold War was about Economic and Political Domination, not Economic and Political Cooperation. The United States still lives by this philosophy today. Every other country in the world is more in tune with Economic and Political Cooperation because they understand that failure to do so is the first step towards War. War should always be the very last resort. Yet in the United States, it is the chief business model that props up the entire economy.

War is for Empires

Nothing makes those who seek power more assured of their success than being victorious in War. The crazy thing is, somehow we think that if we are victorious in battle, we’re also victorious in the battle of ideas. And because we’re victorious, we are now able to impose our will on everyone else. This is not the mentality of a nation that supports Democracy and respects National Sovereignty. This is the mentality of EMPIRE. When we see the institutions that are supposed to act as the checks and balances on power cater to the power structure itself, that is the ultimate red flag. At this point the balance of power is completely compromised and we are on the fast track to full-blown Authoritarianism. While such a system is certainly more expedient, this doesn’t mean that such an approach is the correct course of action; in most cases, it’s quite the opposite.

History has proven that the most stable, peaceful and prosperous societies are the ones that are the most democratic, referring to both the Politics and the Economic System therein. The United States, for example, has a deteriorating democratic process combined with what is essentially a Totalitarian economic infrastructure. In this system the majority of people are mere bystanders. The wealthy elites occupying the top, commonly referred to as the 1%, are those who have all the power and make all the decisions. A system like this leaves the greater public to fend for themselves as they struggle to cope with the consequences of decisions they had no say over.

In a more socially-oriented system such as Norway, the majority of people have far more say in the economic decisions made by Norwegian companies. They require at least 40% of all corporate boards of directors be comprised of company workers, and 40% of all board members must be women. They have paid time off by law, Universal Healthcare and prepaid child care. Norwegians are free to bargain for higher wages. Their unions are strong. Most importantly, their economy is not propped up by a business model of endless war. This is quite a stark contrast to the United States. A nation where there is no paid time off by law, a Private For-Profit Healthcare system and the highest rate of childhood poverty of any other developed nation. Endless War is the primary economic denominator for the US.

Fortunately, the Progressive Movement in the United States is growing more powerful by the day, and The Establishment is growing more desperate in its attempt to preserve and protect the status quo. The political will of millenials and some Gen-Xers is proving to be a real force to be reckoned with as the Establishment politicians are slowly but surely being elected out of existence.

The younger generations are taking the reins of power

Many in the Establishment Media say that political discourse in America is moving too far to the Left. They would say this because historically the status quo is the system that got them to where they are today. The fact is they are losing favorability with the public. Their approval rating is relative to that of Congress, (around 17 to 21%,) and new Independent Media is growing in popularity.

The growing influence of Independent Media is being confronted by stiff opposition from Establishment Media and politicians, as they work in unison to clamp down on it’s rise in order to drown out any opposition to the Establishment narrative. This is that mild form of Fascism mentioned above. A form of fascism that works to restrict the constitutional concepts of Free Speech and a Free Press. This is yet another example of highly concentrated power working to protect itself against its own downfall.

The current system of checks and balances is still holding to a degree on this front, but no one really knows how much longer it can hold out against the behemoth of money and political power wielded by Corporate Media and Establishment political institutions. The unfortunate reality is that the more we see actual resistance to the powers-that-be, the more aggressive and brazen the forces of Fascism will become. We must be ready to meet that challenge when it arrives. For the sake of Freedom, Democracy, and all life on this planet, we must not fail!